PORT TOWNSEND — New East Jefferson Fire-Rescue Chief Chuck Tandy told business leaders Monday that he is looking to cut the time between emergency call and arrival.
“First of all we’re going to be working on restructuring our operations to reduce our response times,” Tandy told the Port Townsend Chamber of Commerce on Monday afternoon.
“Right now from notification to being at your door, we are averaging just shy of 8 minutes for a response time.
“That’s something we really need to work on and need to reduce.”
Tandy has been on the job for less than a month, but he said he already feels like Jefferson County is becoming home.
Tandy was hired in November after months of searching for a replacement for former Chief Mike Mingee who left in January 2008 for a position as Chief of the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District in Santa Barbara County, Calif.
The East Jefferson fire district — which serves Port Townsend, Cape George, Chimacum, Irondale, Kala Point, Marrowstone Island and Port Hadlock — was without a permanent chief until Tandy took over last month.
CPR training
Now, after a few weeks of observation, he said there are some small things the district can do to make the residents of Jefferson County safer.
“We will hold CPR [cardiopulmonary resuscitation] training to anyone who wants it,” he said.
“In a medical emergency, it’s critical to get oxygen moving again, and the more people we can train in the community the better.”
Also look for some water in the streets.
“We will be flowing hydrants across the district to make sure they are in working order,” he said.
“Also, we will try to visit with each business annually and do a walk- through.”
Tandy said the business meetings would serve two purposes.
First, it would allow firefighters to see the layout of commercial buildings and prepare in case a fire were to strike.
Second, it allows them to identify liability concerns and help businesses avoid costs from emergency situations.
“It’s our responsibility to help you stay in business,” Tandy said.
“We will try to make these visits a win-win for everyone because the last thing we want is an incident occurring in your store.”
Arrival from Utah
Tandy came to the area as the fire chief in Washington City, Utah.
He said the desire to come to East Jefferson was because of the setup of the district rather than a department.
“It really is the best way to run things,” he said.
“The more I’m here, the more I like it.
“This is a fun job.”
And while he is changing a few things, Tandy said the district is in excellent condition.
“We’re really good now,” he said.
“We’re going to get better.”
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Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com.
